Dominion Censorship

[Turalyon]

So, he regained his position of power in Brood War itself.

That's part of the reason why people some start saying that BW was a waste of time and had no lasting consequence.

By executing Arcturus publicly and send that video to all the other colonies.

But that would just make him a martyr, what with all the K-sector Terrans liking him and such as you say.

I never said that.

And I never said that you did. Just making a point that UED can do propaganda, too.

Because it's just making up shit.

Quaint. I'm surprised you don't think this way with all the revelations Sc2 keeps throwing up at us.

Really?

It isn't vague inferences.

Yeah. It's a problem when more than one person is not convinced by what you deem as evidence.

So, you aren't claiming it as a fact?

When do I ever? I'm more than happy for others to take my opinions as just that... an opinion.

Kind of hard to miss a giant organic brain mountain when you can spy on certain worlds light years away.

Not really. If it hadn't landed on Aiur, no-one would've known that it even had a physical body at all.

That's entirely different from learning the specific nuance that "Mengsk used Psi Emitters."

Well, Raynor could easily steal a Adjutant with a recorded interaction that damned Mengsk on pure circumstance and luck in WoL. Can't be that hard to find some other similar evidence in regards to Psi Emitters.

So, no, they aren't omniscient.

I wouldn't go so far as them having a bit of information on Mengsk (real or just gossip even) as them being omniscient.

The EU is very explicit that the KMC and the Umoja Protectorate are no longer members of the Dominion.

I was referring to the general power dynamics of Terran society. Sure, they existed somewhere but just like before they were overshadowed by what is known as the Dominion.

I would argue that he did loss power in comparison to what he used to have, and has now to rely on military dictatorship to keep the Dominion together, compared back to SC1 where on the greater whole, his hold on the sector was much more absolute and not as shaky.

The whole "Let's butcher my civilians for not cooperating" only pops up after Brood War afterall.

By all means think that way. It's just as easier for some to think another way, hence the trouble.

Eh, a majority of the Zerg died in space.

Not a majority - just millions. Given the inflated numbers in Sc2 and the general OP of the Zerg in Sc lore now (not that I'm complaining), such losses are nothing to the Zerg.

That's just a WMD based on the Psi Disruptor though

So what? Is it not a demonstration that the Dominion can hold off the Zerg? If they can develop such weapons, they can hold off Zerg. Simple as that.

In a direct fight, the Zerg can just crush who they fight.

That's why 9 of 13 Terran worlds in Starcraft 1 were in ruins.

The Zerg only crushed the Terrans in Sc1 because they were unprepared and complacent (and partly assisted by Mengsk no less) leading up to their initial invasion.

[ragnarok]

Well, yes, if you start from the assumption Mengsk is untouchable, then it makes sense that he is untouchable. But that wasn't really the point, I think.

It's more like it is tiresome (at least to me) to see Mengsk take yet an other massive political defeat and still be securely in power, even though the writers went out of their way to promise the player that it's different this time. It should also have been different the time before that, but it is not exactly the same point.

The explanation given for HotS is that Mengsk is an awesome politician and all that, but a really good politician is not someone that gets exposed as a mass murderer, gets people rioting in the street and manages to bounce back. It is someone that succeeds at not having the people riot against him when the information leaks out.

I would argue that he just got lucky. Strictly speaking, you don't need to be competent or have a strategy to succeed at something - sometimes things turn out your way for reasons that have nothing to do with your actions. But you will lose a lot more if you make rookie mistakes, so, well, you still shouldn't.

Mengsk's luck has basically been around for WAY too long. The HotS explanation for Mengsk's actions was mostly BS. Assuming he even provided the pics to show the Dominion troops defeated the Zerg on Char, that would NOT rule out what Raynor did in Media Blitz. Sure, Mengsk claimed that the evidence was falsified, but as the newscast show, Kate Lockwell said that he was then shouted down, where he retreated to his palace and refused to comment.

That's never a smart move. If you refuse to comment and everything, it only incriminates you even more.

That being said, I always felt the Dominion people should have removed him from the throne since the BW ended. After all, he promised his people security and that the Dominion could not be beaten, and the UED did just that. Sure, the people of Korhal resented UED rule, but choosing the "lesser of the two evils" just seems wrong to me. Not to mention from the Dominion's defeat there, it proved Mengsk's words were false.

This was again shown in WoL during the Zerg invasion, when Warfield was appointed to deal with it. Mengsk assured his people that the invasion would be crushed in no time, and yet no such thing happened. You'd think the people would eventually put two and two together and see that most of Mengsk's claims are hollow.

[Turalyon]

Mengsk's luck has basically been around for WAY too long.

Sc2 pretty much cemented this as Mengsk's "hat" (a trait that he's more or less wholly defined by). At the least, one could argue that it could've gone either way for Mengsk in BW.

The HotS explanation for Mengsk's actions was mostly BS. Assuming he even provided the pics to show the Dominion troops defeated the Zerg on Char, that would NOT rule out what Raynor did in Media Blitz. Sure, Mengsk claimed that the evidence was falsified, but as the newscast show, Kate Lockwell said that he was then shouted down, where he retreated to his palace and refused to comment.

That's never a smart move. If you refuse to comment and everything, it only incriminates you even more.

Media Blitz was pointless though in terms of ultimate consequence because by the end of WoL, Mengsk was still securely on his throne and then goes on to show how powerful he still is (within Terran circles that is) in HotS. It's all fine to say that his walk-off to those accusations were "incriminating" and "bad" but when nothing is really shown to come of it, we can't really say what effect that thing really had. Since we do know that Mengsk was still securely on his throne by WoL's end (if not then, HotS would have reminded you), it's much easier to assume that Media Blitz had no effect whatsoever.

If one were inclined to think that Mengsk's recovery in BW (his appearance in Omega) as being synonymous to the proverbial "cockroach survival in a nuclear holocaust", than his continued presence throughout WoL and HotS is consistent with that portrayal. It's probably the reason why he had to die by HotS: Mengsk had become a trite character who was so solely defined by his "hat" of surviving anything that the only noteworthy change possible was to kill him.

Course, given what Starcraft has become now, I wouldn't be surprised that Mengsk somehow survived since it would be, afterall, "consistent" with the longevity he's been known to have.

That being said, I always felt the Dominion people should have removed him from the throne since the BW ended. After all, he promised his people security and that the Dominion could not be beaten, and the UED did just that. Sure, the people of Korhal resented UED rule, but choosing the "lesser of the two evils" just seems wrong to me. Not to mention from the Dominion's defeat there, it proved Mengsk's words were false.

This was again shown in WoL during the Zerg invasion, when Warfield was appointed to deal with it. Mengsk assured his people that the invasion would be crushed in no time, and yet no such thing happened. You'd think the people would eventually put two and two together and see that most of Mengsk's claims are hollow.

Ooh Rag, you must have missed that big convo FanaticTemplar and I had in that other thread about this very topic. I'm going to attempt to play devil's advocate here (I'm no FT by the way), but having the Dominion without Mengsk at the start of WoL is problematic since it would take a large part Raynor's story and thematic ties away and that the Dominion is largely a vehicle for Mengsk - an Empire is not really an Empire without it's Emperor. Not to mention that this would require setting up a new character to take Mengsk's place that seems justifiable and not seemingly as if they came out of thin-air. Then again, it's not such a major problem that good/solid writing can't get around.

As to the Zerg invasion in WoL, I've been told the Zerg weren't really invading the core Dominion worlds (they only got one up until Kerrigan got deinfested) so in that respect, Mengsk can claim (falsely, by propaganda that is) that he negated their invasion up until that time whilst half his forces went to Char to nullify Kerrigan and conquered Char. No-one would be the wiser.

[ragnarok]

Sc2 pretty much cemented this as Mengsk's "hat" (a trait that he's more or less wholly defined by). At the least, one could argue that it could've gone either way for Mengsk in BW.

True, though BW's ending where Kerrigan claimed she allowed Mengsk to survive to humiliate him again later was only partially true. The main reason was more because the hybrid concept was too new back then, and introducing a new enemy that way would be too sudden, that's why Blizzard allowed Mengsk to live.

Media Blitz was pointless though in terms of ultimate consequence because by the end of WoL, Mengsk was still securely on his throne and then goes on to show how powerful he still is (within Terran circles that is) in HotS. It's all fine to say that his walk-off to those accusations were "incriminating" and "bad" but when nothing is really shown to come of it, we can't really say what effect that thing really had. Since we do know that Mengsk was still securely on his throne by WoL's end (if not then, HotS would have reminded you), it's much easier to assume that Media Blitz had no effect whatsoever.

If one were inclined to think that Mengsk's recovery in BW (his appearance in Omega) as being synonymous to the proverbial "cockroach survival in a nuclear holocaust", than his continued presence throughout WoL and HotS is consistent with that portrayal. It's probably the reason why he had to die by HotS: Mengsk had become a trite character who was so solely defined by his "hat" of surviving anything that the only noteworthy change possible was to kill him.

Course, given what Starcraft has become now, I wouldn't be surprised that Mengsk somehow survived since it would be, afterall, "consistent" with the longevity he's been known to have.

For BW at least there was better grounds for him to survive because his crimes on Tarsonis hadn't been leaked yet, even though his claims of Dominion invincibility had been proven false. The Dominion people may be skeptical, but the UED was even worse, so you can say they sided with the lesser of the two evils.

This was why I was displeased with what happened in HotS. The Media Blitz mission shouldn't have been rendered pointless. I had hoped that the Dominion people wouldn't have bought Mengsk's claim so easily. Perhaps THAT could be one of those reasons tell the public of Raynor's "execution."

Mengsk knew that would provoke Kerrigan to return to the swarm, but if she did that, it would mean the Zerg would once again become a serious threat to the Dominion yet again, which in turn would give him the free hand to tell the people that since the war with the Zerg isn't over, the people have to stick together, there can't be any inner division.

Of course, the SMART Dominion citizens would then point out that by making such claims, it would mean Mengsk was very stupid in claiming the Zerg threat had been permanently neutralized in the first place.

As to the Zerg invasion in WoL, I've been told the Zerg weren't really invading the core Dominion worlds (they only got one up until Kerrigan got deinfested) so in that respect, Mengsk can claim (falsely, by propaganda that is) that he negated their invasion up until that time whilst half his forces went to Char to nullify Kerrigan and conquered Char. No-one would be the wiser.

Yeah I think Tyrador VIII MIGHT have been a core world, which was the only one Kerrigan attacked in WoL, and that was only to locate the remaining artifact pieces, nothing more.

And yeah I know what you're getting at here. The Core worlds would have believed him, since the Zerg didn't strike there. None of the citizens would see that the numbers didn't add up...

[Turalyon]

True, though BW's ending where Kerrigan claimed she allowed Mengsk to survive to humiliate him again later was only partially true. The main reason was more because the hybrid concept was too new back then, and introducing a new enemy that way would be too sudden, that's why Blizzard allowed Mengsk to live.

It's not about Mengsk still being alive, it's more about him still being significant in anyway after all that he's gone through.

This was why I was displeased with what happened in HotS. The Media Blitz mission shouldn't have been rendered pointless.

Just as FT said to me that blaming Wol/Sc2 for Mengsk's continued significance when it was established at the end of BW that he was still significant (we still don't fully agree about this last part), can one blame HotS for Mengsk's continued significance in HotS when WoL doesn't specifically show any real consequence of Media Blitz and establishes that Mengsk was still secure on his throne at the epilogue?

Mengsk knew that would provoke Kerrigan to return to the swarm, but if she did that, it would mean the Zerg would once again become a serious threat to the Dominion yet again, which in turn would give him the free hand to tell the people that since the war with the Zerg isn't over, the people have to stick together, there can't be any inner division.

Of course, the SMART Dominion citizens would then point out that by making such claims, it would mean Mengsk was very stupid in claiming the Zerg threat had been permanently neutralized in the first place.

At this point, Mengsk probably and genuinely thought that he was unstoppable. He had captured Raynor (a terrorist) and rendered Kerrigan powerless afterall - each granting him tremendous political clout. Why not make mention of this to the masses? There's no way he (or anyone else really) could've predicted Kerrigan would go to Zerus to become reinfested so she could lead the entire Swarm and be even more powerful than before. To say so for sure (that it was stupid for him to make such claims or to not predict Kerrigan would successfully get back at him) would be hindsight bias.

[ragnarok]

It's not about Mengsk still being alive, it's more about him still being significant in anyway after all that he's gone through.

Of course he's not. Metzen made it clear by the time of WoL that his story was done, and it's time to focus on Valerian instead, but even now he's still somewhat vague.

Just as FT said to me that blaming Wol/Sc2 for Mengsk's continued significance when it was established at the end of BW that he was still significant (we still don't fully agree about this last part), can one blame HotS for Mengsk's continued significance in HotS when WoL doesn't specifically show any real consequence of Media Blitz and establishes that Mengsk was still secure on his throne at the epilogue?

Let's put it this way: Mengsk was still significant by the end of BW, but he wasn't as significant as he THINKS he is. Despite what happened in the BW, the Dominion people were still convinced he could keep order, which was exactly that during the 4 years between BW and WoL. The Zerg invasion in WoL still showed this, at least on the core worlds.

Now, if the Korhal invasion in HotS proceeded at a SLOWER pace and Kerrigan targeted the WHOLE of the planet, THEN the Dominion people would finally wake up to reality.

At this point, Mengsk probably and genuinely thought that he was unstoppable. He had captured Raynor (a terrorist) and rendered Kerrigan powerless afterall - each granting him tremendous political clout. Why not make mention of this to the masses? There's no way he (or anyone else really) could've predicted Kerrigan would go to Zerus to become reinfested so she could lead the entire Swarm and be even more powerful than before. To say so for sure (that it was stupid for him to make such claims or to not predict Kerrigan would successfully get back at him) would be hindsight bias.

True, but I think Mengsk DID predict SOME measure of reinfestation or something. That could also be one of those reasons for blowing the Moros so SLOWLY. He had expected Raynor to shoot Kerrigan right off the bat, so therefore perhaps he considered LETTING her reach him.

- - - Updated - - -

It's not about Mengsk still being alive, it's more about him still being significant in anyway after all that he's gone through.

Of course he's not. Metzen made it clear by the time of WoL that his story was done, and it's time to focus on Valerian instead, but even now he's still somewhat vague.

Just as FT said to me that blaming Wol/Sc2 for Mengsk's continued significance when it was established at the end of BW that he was still significant (we still don't fully agree about this last part), can one blame HotS for Mengsk's continued significance in HotS when WoL doesn't specifically show any real consequence of Media Blitz and establishes that Mengsk was still secure on his throne at the epilogue?

Let's put it this way: Mengsk was still significant by the end of BW, but he wasn't as significant as he THINKS he is. Despite what happened in the BW, the Dominion people were still convinced he could keep order, which was exactly that during the 4 years between BW and WoL. The Zerg invasion in WoL still showed this, at least on the core worlds.

Now, if the Korhal invasion in HotS proceeded at a SLOWER pace and Kerrigan targeted the WHOLE of the planet, THEN the Dominion people would finally wake up to reality.

At this point, Mengsk probably and genuinely thought that he was unstoppable. He had captured Raynor (a terrorist) and rendered Kerrigan powerless afterall - each granting him tremendous political clout. Why not make mention of this to the masses? There's no way he (or anyone else really) could've predicted Kerrigan would go to Zerus to become reinfested so she could lead the entire Swarm and be even more powerful than before. To say so for sure (that it was stupid for him to make such claims or to not predict Kerrigan would successfully get back at him) would be hindsight bias.

True, but I think Mengsk DID predict SOME measure of reinfestation or something. That could also be one of those reasons for blowing the Moros so SLOWLY. He had expected Raynor to shoot Kerrigan right off the bat, so therefore perhaps he considered LETTING her reach him.

[Turalyon]

Metzen made it clear by the time of WoL that his story was done, and it's time to focus on Valerian instead, but even now he's still somewhat vague.

Did you mean during WoL or just before WoL/after BW finished? I think it was the latter: that Blizz thought Mengsk's story was largely done when BW finished, which then affected how simply he was portrayed in WoL/Sc2.

Let's put it this way: Mengsk was still significant by the end of BW, but he wasn't as significant as he THINKS he is. Despite what happened in the BW, the Dominion people were still convinced he could keep order, which was exactly that during the 4 years between BW and WoL.

This was the point of contention in that other thread I keep mentioning. If Mengsk had suffered no significant consequence after all his defeats during BW (in other words, cancelling itself out), then everything about his portrayal in Sc2 makes sense. If we are to take his losses as having any sort of significant consequence (like most would when considering all the Protoss defeats - that, too is an interesting contrast where people accept and lament the consequences of all the defeats the Protoss suffered), then it does not. What Mengsk thinks doesn't really factor into it because there would have been other third-party groups and individuals who would have been privy to the numerous defeats that Mengsk suffered and the Zerg retaking Korhal - this alone would erode the confidence of the masses in Mengsk's capability. But for some reason, it doesn't. Because of that, some are left to naturally assume that it's largely due to authorly convenience for why Mengsk is still significant which then leads some to have their suspension of disbelief broken.

Now, if the Korhal invasion in HotS proceeded at a SLOWER pace and Kerrigan targeted the WHOLE of the planet, THEN the Dominion people would finally wake up to reality.

In terms of what the masses think of Mengsk, I don't get how this specific set of circumstances would affect anything differently from what we actually got. That the Zerg were attacking the Dominion homeworld at all at the end of HotS would have the same affect on the Dominion people no matter whether it was slower or faster, nor whether it was only on part of or the whole planet. Up until the Zerg attacked Korhal, the assumption was that Mengsk was still top-dog in Terran circles - which is consistent with the end of WoL saying that his position was in still, in actuality, secure.

True, but I think Mengsk DID predict SOME measure of reinfestation or something. That could also be one of those reasons for blowing the Moros so SLOWLY. He had expected Raynor to shoot Kerrigan right off the bat, so therefore perhaps he considered LETTING her reach him.

No, this is clearly hindsight bias. You're attributing Mengsk with omniscience here. There is no way anyone could predict such a specific set of circumstances unless we have been led to believe so earlier. It's like saying that Mengsk was able to predict everything that happened during the events of Rebel Yell - he didn't. All it was was that he just had a plan, which he worked and, with some luck, it bore him fruit. That is all.

Why would Mengsk risk Kerrigan getting to Raynor at all on the Moros? He's effectively rescued at that point and it's a huge gamble because the risk is that he now has two of his most dangerous enemies on the loose. Mengsk's best and only outcome right there and then is dependent/hinging on Raynor shooting Kerrigan, which is an absolutely ludicrous plan/insane troll logic!

[ragnarok]

Did you mean during WoL or just before WoL/after BW finished? I think it was the latter: that Blizz thought Mengsk's story was largely done when BW finished, which then affected how simply he was portrayed in WoL/Sc2.

I think it can go both ways, but then maybe Blizzard had too much disagreements on what to do with Mengsk after BW's release.

This was the point of contention in that other thread I keep mentioning. If Mengsk had suffered no significant consequence after all his defeats during BW (in other words, cancelling itself out), then everything about his portrayal in Sc2 makes sense. If we are to take his losses as having any sort of significant consequence (like most would when considering all the Protoss defeats - that, too is an interesting contrast where people accept and lament the consequences of all the defeats the Protoss suffered), then it does not. What Mengsk thinks doesn't really factor into it because there would have been other third-party groups and individuals who would have been privy to the numerous defeats that Mengsk suffered and the Zerg retaking Korhal - this alone would erode the confidence of the masses in Mengsk's capability. But for some reason, it doesn't. Because of that, some are left to naturally assume that it's largely due to authorly convenience for why Mengsk is still significant which then leads some to have their suspension of disbelief broken.

See the only real loss Mengsk had in BW was that the KMC and UP both broke away from the Dominion. They had allied with the Dominion after the Confederacy fell because at that moment, they believed Mengsk would be a change for the better for humanity, just like Raynor believed him so when he joined the SoK.

But by the end of BW, it was becoming increasingly clear that Mengsk's promises of salvation were ending in perdition, and the KMC and UP had no intent to join Mengsk on the funeral pyre. But they then had to suffer for it because no one expected Kerrigan to withdraw the swarm to Char and then stay quiet for the next 4 years, allowing the Dominion to rebuild.

In terms of what the masses think of Mengsk, I don't get how this specific set of circumstances would affect anything differently from what we actually got. That the Zerg were attacking the Dominion homeworld at all at the end of HotS would have the same affect on the Dominion people no matter whether it was slower or faster, nor whether it was only on part of or the whole planet. Up until the Zerg attacked Korhal, the assumption was that Mengsk was still top-dog in Terran circles - which is consistent with the end of WoL saying that his position was in still, in actuality, secure.

Yeah the Zerg invasion slowing down, before the Char invasion happened, in WoL, was something Mengsk spun to make it seem like the Dominion military really took the fight to the swarm. The public didn't know the only reason it slowed was because Kerrigan lost the race to the artifacts.

Now, if there were many more pieces to the artifact, perhaps the Zerg invasion would have continued, and people would grow skeptical at Mengsk's promise for an easy victory over the Zerg.

As for up until the swarm attacked Korhal at the end of HotS, I guess it'll depend on how many survivors got off the Dominion industrial worlds that Kerrigan ordered destroyed prior to the Korhal invasion. I'm sure she DID expect some survivors to get off and everything.

Sure, Mengsk could keep it quiet, but eventually people will see the numbers aren't adding up. Of course, that'll actually depend on how much time passed after the last of the industrial worlds were destroyed and when the swarm attacked Korhal. The mission order of Skygeirr or Space missions would play a role in this as well.

No, this is clearly hindsight bias. You're attributing Mengsk with omniscience here. There is no way anyone could predict such a specific set of circumstances unless we have been led to believe so earlier. It's like saying that Mengsk was able to predict everything that happened during the events of Rebel Yell - he didn't. All it was was that he just had a plan, which he worked and, with some luck, it bore him fruit. That is all.

Why would Mengsk risk Kerrigan getting to Raynor at all on the Moros? He's effectively rescued at that point and it's a huge gamble because the risk is that he now has two of his most dangerous enemies on the loose. Mengsk's best and only outcome right there and then is dependent/hinging on Raynor shooting Kerrigan, which is an absolutely ludicrous plan/insane troll logic!

Maybe not, but Mengsk knew Kerrigan would turn back to the swarm after hearing of Raynor's "death." I don't think he expected her to reinfest herself in any way he thought, but he DID expect her to do everything she could to get her power back.

As for the 2nd part, I still feel Kerrigan DID agree with Mengsk's message that it's likely the moment Raynor saw her reinfested, he'd kill her on sight. She entered Raynor's cell almost 100% convinced he'd do just that, although a small part of her still hoped something could be salvaged from all this (that's why I never felt the revenge was COMPLETELY personal, if you had clicked on her right after the Umojan missions, Kerrigan DID say that for Mengsk's actions in killing Raynor, she would now take his life in return).

But back to the topic at hand, Mengsk learned NOTHING even after Media Blitz. To him, Raynor only won on Korhal in the Media Blitz mission by cheating because he had the Odin, which was a Dominion weapon, it was never a Raiders weapon. Therefore, even with the Dominion industrial worlds destroyed, Mengsk still saw the Raiders as just a bunch of rag-tags, easy pushovers.

His view of the swarm is still the same. To him, Kerrigan was the only sentient Zerg. Once she's gone, the swarm becomes a bunch of dumb animals who can't think at all. And he had the artifact, which would take care of her.

[Turalyon]

See the only real loss Mengsk had in BW was that the KMC and UP both broke away from the Dominion. They had allied with the Dominion after the Confederacy fell because at that moment, they believed Mengsk would be a change for the better for humanity, just like Raynor believed him so when he joined the SoK.

But by the end of BW, it was becoming increasingly clear that Mengsk's promises of salvation were ending in perdition, and the KMC and UP had no intent to join Mengsk on the funeral pyre. But they then had to suffer for it because no one expected Kerrigan to withdraw the swarm to Char and then stay quiet for the next 4 years, allowing the Dominion to rebuild.

Be that as it may, we knew nothing of what deals Mengsk/the Dominion had with the KMC or the UP way back then when we only had Sc1 and BW to work with. Back then, who's to say that Mengsk had any help in setting up the Dominion the first time from the KMC or the UP at all? Who's to say that his recovery in Omega wasn't partially attributable to the KMC helping him out and then continuing to help him out rebuild the Dominion? That would certainly be a better explanation to how quick he was able to rebuild in 4 years leading up to WoL rather than that he was completely alone to rebuild the Dominion from the time of BW's end. Either way, even if we knew nothing of these other groups helping or not helping the Dominion, Mengsk has seemingly lost nothing in BW on the account that he has just sprung back for more, at a power level that is seemingly the same (if not better) as the time before he was supposedly "weakened" in BW.

Maybe not, but Mengsk knew Kerrigan would turn back to the swarm after hearing of Raynor's "death."

How on Earth would Mengsk know what Kerrigan thinks? The last time he spoke to her, she revealed to him that he was responsible for the "hell she's been through" which implies that, at some level, she actually doesn't like being infested. I can imagine Mengsk knowing that Kerrigan would try something against him, but not specifically by going back to the Zerg because he has no reason to believe she would or if that's even possible.

As for the 2nd part, I still feel Kerrigan DID agree with Mengsk's message that it's likely the moment Raynor saw her reinfested, he'd kill her on sight. She entered Raynor's cell almost 100% convinced he'd do just that, although a small part of her still hoped something could be salvaged from all this (that's why I never felt the revenge was COMPLETELY personal, if you had clicked on her right after the Umojan missions, Kerrigan DID say that for Mengsk's actions in killing Raynor, she would now take his life in return).

So what? Why get Raynor to kill Kerrigan, when he can kill them both with his very hands by blowing the Moros up the instant Kerrigan was on it? If a bullet can kill Kerrigan, an explosion can just as well, right? I mean, Mengsk is quite the pragmatic sort of person, isn't he?

If Mengsk really wanted to play twisted games, he could've just left a dead Raynor in his cell for Kerrigan to find and then ambush her by shooting her in the back of the head as she reels in shock at his dead body.

But back to the topic at hand, Mengsk learned NOTHING even after Media Blitz.

That's because there was nothing to learn. He was still securely sitting on his throne despite Media Blitz. This means that Media Blitz had no effect on him whatsoever. As a result, Media Blitz actually has the opposing effect and ultimately shows just how untouchable his position is.

[ragnarok]

Be that as it may, we knew nothing of what deals Mengsk/the Dominion had with the KMC or the UP way back then when we only had Sc1 and BW to work with. Back then, who's to say that Mengsk had any help in setting up the Dominion the first time from the KMC or the UP at all? Who's to say that his recovery in Omega wasn't partially attributable to the KMC helping him out and then continuing to help him out rebuild the Dominion? That would certainly be a better explanation to how quick he was able to rebuild in 4 years leading up to WoL rather than that he was completely alone to rebuild the Dominion from the time of BW's end. Either way, even if we knew nothing of these other groups helping or not helping the Dominion, Mengsk has seemingly lost nothing in BW on the account that he has just sprung back for more, at a power level that is seemingly the same (if not better) as the time before he was supposedly "weakened" in BW.

In terms of setting up the Dominion it's likely Mengsk had Umojan help. The Umojans helped Mengsk during the SoK days to rid the Confederacy, it's likely JUST as the Dominion was formed, they still believed in him and everything, and thus continued to support him at that time.

How on Earth would Mengsk know what Kerrigan thinks? The last time he spoke to her, she revealed to him that he was responsible for the "hell she's been through" which implies that, at some level, she actually doesn't like being infested. I can imagine Mengsk knowing that Kerrigan would try something against him, but not specifically by going back to the Zerg because he has no reason to believe she would or if that's even possible.

Mengsk would have believed the infestation left its mark, but you have to remember she had been his 2nd in command in the SoK since 2491. For 9 years BEFORE Raynor joined, they had fought against the Confederacy, you'd think they'd understand each other's tactics to some level. This was explained for just that right before the last HotS mission began, when Kerrigan was telling Stukov that since she had been part of Mengsk's schemes for so long, it's now time to see if she had been a good student or not.

So what? Why get Raynor to kill Kerrigan, when he can kill them both with his very hands by blowing the Moros up the instant Kerrigan was on it? If a bullet can kill Kerrigan, an explosion can just as well, right? I mean, Mengsk is quite the pragmatic sort of person, isn't he?

If Mengsk really wanted to play twisted games, he could've just left a dead Raynor in his cell for Kerrigan to find and then ambush her by shooting her in the back of the head as she reels in shock at his dead body.

This is another reason I feel Raynor didn't shoot her. He felt it'd have been pointless anyway since Kerrigan would just heal back up, unless she truly dropped any mental barrier and everything and intentionally left herself vulnerable for just that. Now granted Kerrigan probably DID do just that, but I don't think Raynor believed it.

If that was the case, it would explain why blowing the Moros wouldn't work. It's also possible at that moment in time, the Xel'Naga artifact in Mengsk's office wasn't ready yet (though this is highly unlikely), and if Raynor was killed, Kerrigan would launch the Korhal invasion right away. Thus Mengsk wanted for them to reunite, and let everything in Kerrigan's life crumble.

Another possibility is perhaps by allowing Kerrigan to reach Raynor, Mengsk wanted to see just how much of an impact could Raynor make on her.

See, in the "Believe in Me" cutscene, when Raynor walked out of the cell, what he SHOULD have said was the following:

"Sarah, four years ago after Fenix's death, you told me I didn't have what it takes to be a killer. During all these years, I had been thinking about what you said back then. And in the end, you're right. I don't have what it takes to be a cold blooded murderer who only kills for sadistic pleasure and power gains. I won't become you."

If Raynor had said something along those lines (and if that was what Mengsk had expected him to say), perhaps Mengsk would have expected that to leave a blow hard enough for Kerrigan to look back at everything and wonder if anything had been worth it at all. Now granted even if Raynor HAD said that it wouldn't have stopped her from launching the Korhal invasion, but it certainly would have caused Kerrigan to give serious hesitation.

In some ways, this was already shown in HotS, when Kerrigan told Valerian that once the invasion ends, the Dominion people would need a leader. In that, she was telling him that this would be the very last bloodshed the swarm will make against the terrans. After that, she'll leave and they'll never hear from her again. So obviously the "Believe in Me" cutscene had an impact (though LotV may prove me wrong about this).

That's because there was nothing to learn. He was still securely sitting on his throne despite Media Blitz. This means that Media Blitz had no effect on him whatsoever. As a result, Media Blitz actually has the opposing effect and ultimately shows just how untouchable his position is.

And THAT is why I continue to believe Raynor would have understood to at least SOME extent of Kerrigan's actions in ordering the Dominion industrial worlds destroyed. The two of them both feel that the Dominion people are nothing but a bunch of spineless morons, too scared to take any action. In reality it's likely that the Dominion was a very brutally policed regime, and the consequences are draconian (just like Hitler's regime).

This was why on the battlenet forums I had continuously used the destruction of the Dominion industrial worlds to compared to the allied bombing of Germany in WWII, especially Dresden. Even DECADES after the way, allied airmen continued to insist to the German people, "We're not the ones who bombed Germany's cities into rubble, it's your own damn fault. You lacked the balls to even raise your voice against Hitler, let alone take any action. If you actually grew a spine, none of this destruction had to happen, but you were too cowardly to do anything."